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I’d like to start this article by saying...the second you’re done, and please finish this piece first, go and vote to get Andrew Benintendi into this year's all-star game. #VoteBenny

Photo Courtesy of: Twitter.com

The 1st place Boston Red Sox are sending 5 players to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. It makes sense given that this ball club has an MLB high mark for wins (62). The Boston Red Sox offense ranks very highly in regards to the entire MLB in offensive numbers. As of July 9th, the Red Sox are 1st in team batting average (.270), 2nd in home runs (128), 1st in RBIs (466), 1st in runs scored (489), 4th in OBP (.337), 1st in SLG (.461), 1st in OPS (.798), 1st in team hits (859), and I could continue to dive in but then you’d be reading an article entirely made up of numbers, and that’s no fun. But I will add one last stat that will boggle the minds of Sox fans. Your squad is also ranked 3rd in the entire MLB for steals (69... noice).

Let all that sink in...that’s only offensive stats. The Red Sox are also sending 2 pitchers to the ASG.

Chris Sale is the Sox’ ace. He has been an absolute stud since the Sox acquired him two off seasons ago. As it stands today, he ranks 7th in the MLB in ERA (2.36) and 2nd in strike outs, but only by 1 K (176). Sale is also second in batting average against. It’s safe to say that Chris Sale is good at pitching. Again, I could continue to bore you with numbers, but I think we can just leave it with that. Everyone knows that Chris Sale is one of the best and most feared pitchers in the entire big leagues.

Their other pitcher representing the Red Sox in the 2018 ASG is the team’s closer, Craig Kimbrel. Let’s face it, he’s one of the top closers in the entire league. His praying mantis stance may be as silly as his stuff. He ranks 2nd in the MLB with 27 saves. Kimbrel’s ERA (1.98) stacks up against almost every other reliever out there. He will be a strong candidate to close out the game for the favored AL All-Star team.

As I mentioned earlier, the Red Sox have one of the best offenses in the big leagues. Let’s take a look at the hitters Boston will be sending to Washington, D.C., for the ASG.

There is no better place to start then with the Red Sox lead off hitter, Markus Betts. Obviously you know him as Mookie, the best lead off hitter in baseball. Mookie leads the league in batting average (.342), he is tied for the 5th spot in homers (22), Mookie is tied for 6th in stolen bases (16), he also sits around the top of the leader board in OBP, SLG, and OPS. Stats aside, Betts is one of the most exciting players in the game. Not to mention he looks like T-Rex Pennebaker. “That’s gonna look tight, on next years’ video game.” Just a little reference to the movie Mr. 3000 right there. Mookie’s numbers are fantastic and he has even missed some games this year. It doesn’t seem like this season is a fluke either. Expect Betts to be a perennial all-star for seasons to come. He is undoubtedly one of the best players in the entire MLB. Everyone will agree, Mookie is one of the most talented players in today’s game and deserves the ASG nod.

Mitch Moreland has never made an all-star game. He has been a good player his entire career, but he has never been selected to the mid-summer classic. That was until this year. This past weekend, Moreland was picked to represent the Red Sox in DC. In my opinion he deserves it! Admittedly, the AL first basemen haven’t been the best positional players this year and maybe that plays to Moreland’s advantage. The Mississippi native has always been a solid ball player. And to this day, he has been one of Dombrowski’s best low key signings. This year he has batted a very respectful .288 and has launched 11 homers. He bats in the middle of the Sox order and plays a stellar first base. Many say that his defense is among the best at the position. Given the Red Sox success, Moreland absolutely deserves a chance to play in the ASG.

Now to the pièce de résistance....Julio Daniel Martinez. I’ll confess off the top, I am a big time Martinez guy. I’m currently enjoying having him on my fantasy baseball team. Even though I’m not in first, I’m happy he was my first pick. Back to real baseball, in the off season nobody wanted to sign JD to a lucrative deal. Signing Martinez was seen as an over payment for a relatively unknown superstar. Matter of fact, continue to check out BSoT’s baseball articles for a piece highlighting the early success of Martinez at a later date. Little did anyone know, he was going to not only succeed in Boston but thrive. JD Martinez has been worth every penny of his 5 year 110 million dollar deal so far. Most Boston fans ignored Martinez' phenomenal 2017 second half. Fans of baseball thought he may be a short term producer and nothing more. I won’t lie, I was even skeptical this past off season. As we stand now (7/9), just a week before the MLB All-Star break, Julio Daniel is the best hitter in all of baseball. Martinez ranks 4th in batting average (.329), he leads the big leagues in home runs (27), and runs batted in (74). For those who aren’t mathematicians, that puts Martinez on a pace to smash about 48 homers and drive in around 131 runs. That's an extremely productive season. His power to all fields has translated well to Fenway and ball parks around the American League. Flash back to last season, the Sox were starved for a big bat. They had good players, but they didn’t have the power hitter to boost their lineup. Now in 2018 and beyond, they have their big poppa with the big moppa. Martinez is exactly the monster they needed. He’s motivated, and after being selected to only his 2nd ASG, I think big things are still in store for the new beast of the east.

The real crazy thing is, even though Boston is sending 5 players to the ASG in the nation’s capital, they could send even more. Andrew Benintendi is having himself a break out season. If he didn’t get off to a slow start, he would absolutely have already been selected. It’s ok...fans across the globe have a chance to vote AB into this year’s all-star game. The #VoteBenny movement is underway. As I stated earlier in the article - go and vote...well finish reading then share this article, THEN vote!!!!!

Andrew Benintendi has swung a very hot bat as of late. AB is up to a very good .293 batting average. Due to a recent hot streak he is up to 14 home runs. He has been very important to the Boston lineup. Benintendi has delivered big time hits, drove in clutch runs and has been a catalyst for the Sox lineup. If it wasn’t for JD having a monster season Benny Boy would be the RBI leader for the team. If you watch the Boston Red Sox, you will notice that AB has been horrific on the bases. He runs into outs almost more than anyone. If I were to spin this to appeal to the fans that are voting to get him in the ASG, I’d say he’s just pushing the limits to help his team win. That is complete b.s., but I want another Sox player in the all-star game so who cares. If you want to see 6, I repeat 6

Red Sox players in the MLB All-Star game, go ahead and #VoteBenny. You can do that be logging on to MLB.com and submitting your pick for the Final Vote candidate.

Ok...so now we’ve highlighted the 5, maybe 6 all-stars. If you’re a Red Sox fan or just a fan of baseball then you’re aware that Boston is very good this year. Who knows what is in store for them for the rest of the year, but as of now they have 6 all-stars. That’s right I’m going to get cocky and say AB will win the Final Vote.

This has been mentioned more than once, but pick up your phone, tablet, or laptop and go #VoteBenny into this year's ASG. Unless you’re using one of those devices to read this...then just vote with that. And be sure to tune into the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday July 17th at 7 pm est.

Speaking of tuning in... be sure to check BSoT’s very own Mitchell Brouillard (@MitchyBSoT on Twitter) take on his one of his best friend’s Phil in an epic battle to see who is the best at MLB The Show 18. You can see this on our twitch channel every Monday.

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Follow me on Twitter @Matty_wests1de

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